• It has been six months since two buildings collapsed in Lille, causing the death of one man.
  • The rubble was eventually removed. The fence that hid the scene of the tragedy will be reduced and the security perimeter restricted to allow the reopening of the road.
  • But new expertise has determined the dangerousness of the buildings located at the bottom of the plot concerned, which will have to be deconstructed.

It has now been six months since two buildings on Rue Pierre-Mauroy, in downtown Lille, collapsed, causing the death of one man. Six months since the place was sealed by the prosecutor of Lille. Six months that the judicial expert works to determine the causes of the tragedy. Six months that a gaping hole is the focal point of this neighborhood. And if the announcement of the imminent reopening of the street is good news, another, much less cheerful, tarnishes the picture.

The huge pile of rubble, which six months ago constituted two buildings, has been completely removed in recent weeks. Since then, two days, workers have been working to dismantle the 4-meter-high palisade that hid the scene of the tragedy from the eyes of the curious. It will be replaced by another, half smaller, on a smaller perimeter, freeing the sidewalk in front of the site. "This part of the sidewalk will be reopened to pedestrians on Thursday, and the road will be accessible to vehicles again from Monday, May 23," says Martine Aubry, mayor of Lille.

Several buildings to be demolished within a year

An announcement that delights the merchants of the sidewalk opposite, who will finally be able to recover their terraces, as well as boss of the Hotel de la Paix, which will be able to welcome customers again. It is not until mid-June, at the latest, that a huge tarpaulin depicting an architectural trompe-l'oeil will be installed in place of the palisade, in the alignment of the buildings still standing, freeing up the entire sidewalk. For how long? Neither Martine Aubry nor anyone knows. Probably "years", slips the elected.


But this part of Pierre-Mauroy Street has not finished seeing demolition machines. According to the town hall, new expertise has established the dangerousness of the buildings located at the bottom of the plot where the two collapsed buildings were erected. "These assessments have shown that there is a risk of collapse of these buildings at the bottom of the plot and they will have to be deconstructed," explains Martine Aubry. An operation that will have to take place "within a year" and that "could" have consequences on neighboring buildings.

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